Neo-Assyrian Empire

The Neo-Assyrian Empire was an empire in Mesopotamia during the Iron Age. During its existence from 911 to 609 BC, it was the largest empire in the world up to that time and carried out many early techniques of imperialism that became normal in later empires. It was, according to many historians, the first real empire in history. It also pioneered many tactics such as arming themselves with iron weapons and employing advanced, effective military tactics.

Neo-Assyrian Empire 𒆳𒀸𒋩𒆠 māt Aššurcode: akk is deprecated   (Akkadian)
911 BC–609 BC
Map of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 824 BC (dark green) and in its apex in 671 BC (light green) under King Esarhaddon
Capital	Aššur (911 BC) Kalhu (879 BC) Dur-Sharrukin (706 BC) Nineveh (705 BC) Harran (612 BC)
Common languages	Akkadian (official) Aramaic (official) Sumerian (declining) Hittite Hurrian Phoenician Egyptian
Religion	Polytheism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 911–891 BC	Adad-nirari II (first)
• 612–609 BC	Ashur-uballit II (last)
Historical era	Iron Age
•	911 BC
• Battle of Nineveh	612 BC
•	609 BC
Area
670 BC	1,400,000 km2 (540,000 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Middle Assyrian Empire Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) Elam Median Empire Neo-Babylonian Empire Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
Today part of	Iraq Syria Israel Turkey Egypt Sudan Saudi Arabia Jordan Iran Kuwait Lebanon Cyprus Palestine

After the conquests of Adad-nirari II in the 900s BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire became the successor to the Old Assyrian Empire (2025-1378 BC) and the Middle Assyrian Empire (1365-934 BC) and dominated the Ancient Near East, the East Mediterranean, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of both the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, conquering and lasting longer than their rivals, such as Babylonia, Elam, Persia, Urartu, Lydia, the Medes, Phrygia, the Cimmerians, Israel, Judah, Phoenicia, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Canaan, Kush, and Ancient Egypt.

The empire began to fall in 631 BC when Ashurbanipal died, and many civil wars allowed Cyaxares, King of Persia and the Medes to form an alliance with Nabopolassar, Ruler of Babylonia and the Cimmerians and invade Assyria. Assyria allied itself with Egypt, but both fell at the Fall of Harran in 609 BC. The Second Siege of Harran finally ended Assyria. However, there are still Assyrian people living in Iran, Iraq, and elsewhere.

911-859 BC

The campaigns of Adad-nirari II allowed Assyria to become a great power after overthrowing the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt and conquering Elam, Urartu, Media, Persia, Mannea, Gutium, Phoenicia/Canaan, Arabia, Israel, Judah, Philistia, Edom, Moab, Samarra, Cilicia, Cyprus, Chaldea, Nabatea, Commagene, Dilmun, Shutu, and the Neo-Hittites, as well as removing the Nubians, Kushites, and Ethiopians from Egypt and forcing a tribute from Phrygia and others. In addition, he and his successors conquered areas that had been only somewhat under Assyrian control, and they deported Arameans and Hurrians. He then twice attacked and defeated Shamash-mudammiq of Babylonia and again to his successor, Nabu-shuma-ukin I.

The next three kings were also equally aggressive. Tukulti-Ninurta II in 891 BC succeeded Adad-nirari II and expanded into Asia Minor and the Zagros Mountains, before being succeeded by Ashurnasirpal II in 883 BC, who recovered much of the territory lost after the fall of the Middle Assyrian Empire in 1100 BC, and ended an uprising caused by the Lullibi and Gutian people. He and his successor and son, Shalmaneser III, were known for their ruthlessness and policies of deportation, as well as their love of art. Ashurnasirpal II also moved the capital to Kalhu.

859-783 BC

Annual campaigns under Shalmaneser III allowed both the capital to be turned into an army camp and the occupation of important rivals. Babylon was occupied and Babylonia came under Assyrian rule, however the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC against Aramean states ended in a stalemate. In 849 BC Carchemesh was occupied and by 842 BC Damascus was forced to pay tribute, as well as Tyre and Sidon, then part of Phoenicia in 841 BC.

A civil war began in 828 BC as his eldest son, Ashur-nadin-aplu, and 27 cities rebelled against the governors of Assyria, which largely allowed Babylonia, the Medes, Manneans, Arameans, Neo-Hittites, and Persians to recapture their land and Urartu to exert its influence in the region. The second son of Ashurnasirpal ,Shamshi-Adad V, finally ended the civil war in 824 BC, the same year as his father's death, and spent almost the entire rest of his reign trying to re-conquer lost land before his death in 811 BC, when succeeded by his wife, Queen Sammuramat, and then his son Adad-nirari III in 806 BC.

Adad-nirari III, an aggressive monarch, invaded the Levant; brought the Arameans, Phoenicians, Philistines, Israelites, Neo-Hittites and Edomites under his control; reinforced tribute upon Damascus; invaded Persia and brought under control the Persians, Medes, and Manneans up to the Caspian Sea; and conquered the Chaldean and Sutu tribes of southern Mesopotamia.

A relief depicting Assyrian soldiers and their captives.

783-745 BC

After the death of Adad-nirari III in 783 BC, there was a period of stagnation, and Shalmaneser IV led only minor victories against Urartu during the Battle of Til Barsip, Arameans, and Neo-Hittites before his own death in 773 BC. Another set of civil wars beset the reigns of Ashur-dan III, who reigned from 772 to 754 BC, and Ashur-nirari IV (754-745 BC), with uprisings in Ashur, Arrapkha, and Guzana, the failure to invade Aram-Naharaim or Babylonia, an outbreak in plague, and a solar eclipse, seen as a bad omen. Ashur-nirari IV was deposed by general Pulu, who changed his name upon becoming King to Tiglath-Pileser III in 745 BC, bringing back Assyria.

744-727 BC

As soon as Tiglath-Pileser took the throne in 744, Assyria had both civil war and pestilence threatening it and lost a war to Uratru. However, Tiglath Pileser III made enormous changes to the structure of Assyria by improving its security and efficiency.

726-609 BC

During this period, Assyria became an important superpower. Assyrian King Shalmaneser V conquered the Kingdom of Samaria (the northern region of Israel), and some years later, King Esarhaddon engaged in a war against Egypt under the Nubian Pharaoh Taharqa and eventually defeated him and sacked Egypt's main cities.

However, not long after the death of Esarhaddon's son Ashurbanipal, a coalition of Iranians and Chaldeans rebelled against Assyria and eventually overran both Nineveh and Harran no later than 609 BC. The conquest eventually gave rise to the Neo-Babylonian Empire under King Nabopolassar.